Jump to content

Trailer battery not charging

Ranger36

Recommended Posts

Ranger36 Enthusiast

Ranger36

Posted
Posted

Just towed my trailer for the first time and when I hooked up the 7 pin harness I had no power going to my electric tongue jack. I found the fuse in #2 trailer battery to be blown but when I replaced it nothing changes. I've seen other posts on older trucks refer to studs at the fuse block where the brake and battery wires should be connected but i don't see them on this truck. Can anyone help me out?

CDNSS Enthusiast

CDNSS

Posted
Posted

What yr and option package are we talking about here

dkjbama Enthusiast

dkjbama

Posted
Posted

Unlike my 08, my 18 came from the factory with the +12v pin on the 7way plug hot already. Look up the pinout for a 7way plug and use a multimeter or test light to see if you've even got power at the plug.

 

Is the deep cycle battery in the RV good? If it's toast, it will suck all the amps that the plug can provide leaving nothing for the jack. The jack should be running off the RV house battery in the first place, not directly off the plug. You shouldn't even need to plug in to use the jack.

 

EDIT: just realized it may not be an RV. A trailer big enough to need an electric jack likely has electric brakes. If so it should have a battery and a breakaway system to energize the brakes in the event of the trailer coming off the hitch.

CDNSS Enthusiast

CDNSS

Posted
Posted

Yes my 2017 came with 12v pin hot too so as said check rhe plug with a meter.  The 12v hot is not heavy guage  a wire so won't recharge a dead or low bat  really just a maintenance charge 

Ranger36 Enthusiast

Ranger36

Posted
  • Author
Posted
1 hour ago, dkjbama said:

Unlike my 08, my 18 came from the factory with the +12v pin on the 7way plug hot already. Look up the pinout for a 7way plug and use a multimeter or test light to see if you've even got power at the plug.

 

Is the deep cycle battery in the RV good? If it's toast, it will suck all the amps that the plug can provide leaving nothing for the jack. The jack should be running off the RV house battery in the first place, not directly off the plug. You shouldn't even need to plug in to use the jack.

 

EDIT: just realized it may not be an RV. A trailer big enough to need an electric jack likely has electric brakes. If so it should have a battery and a breakaway system to energize the brakes in the event of the trailer coming off the hitch.

It is a RV. Just had the battery tested at O'Reilly it was bad, so I bought a new one. What is puzzling me is that the battery was bad last year too but I was still able to use the electric jack once I hooked up to my previous truck, a '07 Chevy 1500 w/t. I'll get my meter out and test the plug but I doubt I'm getting anything there. I tried it with my test light on the pin that showed (+) but maybe I didn't have a good ground on the test light. 

15slvrDbl Enthusiast

15slvrDbl

Posted
Posted

Do you remove your battery and keep it topped up all winter?  If it stays in the TT the propane/carbon monoxide  detector will drain a battery in under a week.  Dealer told us to pull the fuse And that will get you a few more days. Best to disconnect the battery between uses and pull it out and keep it inside and tended over winter. 

Ranger36 Enthusiast

Ranger36

Posted
  • Author
Posted
15 minutes ago, 15slvrDbl said:

Do you remove your battery and keep it topped up all winter?  If it stays in the TT the propane/carbon monoxide  detector will drain a battery in under a week.  Dealer told us to pull the fuse And that will get you a few more days. Best to disconnect the battery between uses and pull it out and keep it inside and tended over winter. 

We got it used from an individual last summer. We used it once and parked it. With the new battery I'm either gonna disconnect it or keep the TT plugged in at home. I'm a newbie with this so everything is still a learning process. 

I'm hoping to fix the power to the TT battery so it'll keep a small charge going to it while traveling.

Ranger36 Enthusiast

Ranger36

Posted
  • Author
Posted
3 hours ago, dkjbama said:

Unlike my 08, my 18 came from the factory with the +12v pin on the 7way plug hot already. Look up the pinout for a 7way plug and use a multimeter or test light to see if you've even got power at the plug.

 

Is the deep cycle battery in the RV good? If it's toast, it will suck all the amps that the plug can provide leaving nothing for the jack. The jack should be running off the RV house battery in the first place, not directly off the plug. You shouldn't even need to plug in to use the jack.

 

EDIT: just realized it may not be an RV. A trailer big enough to need an electric jack likely has electric brakes. If so it should have a battery and a breakaway system to energize the brakes in the event of the trailer coming off the hitch.

It is a RV. Just had the battery tested at O'Reilly it was bad, so I bought a new one. What is puzzling me is that the battery was bad last year too but I was still able to use the electric jack once I hooked up to my previous truck, a '07 Chevy 1500 w/t. I'll get my meter out and test the plug but I doubt I'm getting anything there. I tried it with my test light on the pin that showed (+) but maybe I didn't have a good ground on the test light. 

Ranger36 Enthusiast

Ranger36

Posted
  • Author
Posted

No power at the plug on the terminal labeled (+). I checked all the terminals to be sure I had a good ground and I have power on L turn, R turn, parking lights , brake. I ever swapped out a different fuse that I knew was good. Power had to be going to the plug at some point cos the original fuse was blown, unless the original owner swapped then around. Only other fuse in there that is identical is the trailer brake fuse. 

dkjbama Enthusiast

dkjbama

Posted
Posted

Do other 12v items in the trailer work? Are we sure the jack still works. Maybe turn the truck around and run jumper cables from the truck batt to the trailer house batt the try the jack. If it doesn't work then, then you know you've either got a problem with the jack or it's connection to the trailer battery.

dkjbama Enthusiast

dkjbama

Posted
Posted

I would think the trailer would have an onboard charger wired to the 120v shore power. If so, make sure it works and keep the trailer plugged in. Just don't forget to keep the trailer deep cycle battery topped up with DISTILLED water.

Ranger36 Enthusiast

Ranger36

Posted
  • Author
Posted
25 minutes ago, dkjbama said:

I would think the trailer would have an onboard charger wired to the 120v shore power. If so, make sure it works and keep the trailer plugged in. Just don't forget to keep the trailer deep cycle battery topped up with DISTILLED water.

Yes the trailer has an inverter/ charger. I checked it earlier, it's got 13v going to the battery while plugged into shore power. Only thing I can think of at this point is a break in the wire somewhere between the fuse block and the trailer plug. Will try to locate it tomorrow. 

Z45 Senior Enthusiast

Z45

Posted
Posted

Be aware of the RVC system..

 

 

Camper/Trailer Battery Charging Concerns

Some customers may comment that when towing or hauling a camper/trailer, the auxiliary battery for the camper/trailer will not stay charged. In most cases, this concern is blamed on the new RVC system. While the RVC system does reduce the generator's targeted output voltage to 12.6-13.1 volts when in "Fuel Economy Mode", this feature is bypassed if the tow/haul feature is enabled. With the tow/haul feature enabled, the RVC system will stay in "Charge Mode" and the targeted generator output voltage will be 13.9-15.5 volts, depending on the battery state of charge and the estimated battery temperature. To keep the generator in the "Charge Mode", use either of the following two methods.

 

*The first method is to use the tow/haul mode when towing or hauling a camper or trailer.

 

*The second method is to turn on the headlights, which will increase the generator's targeted output voltage to 13.9-14.5 volts.

Donstar Senior Enthusiast

Donstar

Posted
Posted

Also, don't forget to eliminate the simple stuff first.  On my brand new 2018 travel trailer my jack worked intermittently and on my second trip pre-check my left signal light didn't work.  Some WD 40 in the trailer jack fuse holder fixed the jack and WD 40 in the plug connecting the trailer to the truck fixed the signal. 

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Forum Statistics

    250.3k
    Total Topics
    2.7m
    Total Posts

  • Member Statistics

    342,716
    Total Members
    8,960
    Most Online
    BDS my HD
    Newest Member
    BDS my HD
    Joined

  • Who's Online   1 Member, 0 Anonymous, 482 Guests (See full list)

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • BDS my HD
      Brand new to this forum. Questions about re-gearing my 26’ HD

      By BDS my HD · Posted

      Hello hello looking forward to expanding my knowledge of the 2026 2500 HD that I just bought.   Truck has 3500 miles on it four-wheel-drive crew cab and I’m about to put a 6 1/2 inch BDS lift on it 18 x 10 -25 offset with 37’s   Already have the wheels and tires just waiting on the lift install in about three weeks   Question what surprises am I not gonna be happy with?  I’m not new to lifted trucks so I know that acceleration towing gas mileage all that is affected..   Question is those of you that have this truck this powertrain with a 10 speed Allison and have done the mods that I’m doing,,, how bad is it? Is that Allison constantly gonna be hunting for the right gear to go into? And what about towing, acceleration, fuel consumption as mentioned?    Lastly how come I can’t find any ring pinion gear set up for these axles and when could I expect to see them?   I apologize if there’s any typos I’m doing speech to text on my iPhone.    
    • linc45bn
      2013 2500HD 6.0L intermittent no crank no start

      By linc45bn · Posted

      I've got a 2013 2500 6.0L Flexfuel. Drove the truck earlier today with no issues. Went to run an errand tonight and noticed key fob wouldn't work. Figured battery was dead, so replaced fob batter. Still wasn't working. Grabbed my other set of keys with the other fob and that one wasn't working either. So I manually unlock truck and insert key. Interior lights come on, dashboard lights up, turn key and truck starts. Turn truck off, like a moron, and try starting again. This time no crank, no click, no nothing. Lights still come on and dash lights up, but now I'm getting a service 4wheel drive, service tire monitor, etc. Check voltage on battery and Im showing 12.2v. Throw my battery charger on it and give it 15 mins and try starting again. But still no crank no start. Decide maybe its a bad battery, run to autozone grab a new one and put it in. Same issue. Disconnect battery and let it sit for 15 mins. Try again and still nothing. I had managed to roll the windows down earlier as its a humid night, but now I can't get them to roll up. Power locks are also not working now. Then randomly I try the key again, and it fires right up. Immediately I roll up the windows as we have nothing but rain forecast this week. I shut it back off wait 30 seconds and start up again. Worked a 2nd time. So turn it off, start putting things back together. Try one more time, and back to no crank no start. And now the car alarm starts going off. Had to disconnect battery and leave it that way for the night as I don't think my neighbors would appreciate my alarm going off again tonight. Any thoughts or help would be appreciated. 
    • Grumpy Bear
      first oil change - 2026 2500HD gas

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      No one will care for you like you care for you. Do what you can for as long as you can. IMHO of course. 
    • Grumpy Bear
      Oil Consumption

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      How about them NICKS!!! 
    • Peoplemvr
      GMC 1500 Illuminated Front Grill Emblem REPLACEMENT.

      By Peoplemvr · Posted

      Hi there.  Long time lurker, first post.    i have read the previous posts regarding the water ingress problem with this emblem.  I bought my 1500 SLT the  summer of 2025 new and after reading the MANY problems with these emblems failing I decided to install one anyways.  As per a YouTube video, I sealed ( or tried to) this sign with silicone sealant around the outer perimeter joint and the holes that were already somewhat sealed on the rear plate of the emblem.  And installed the connector assembly using dielectric grease on the connectors. The installation looked great and worked well for about 4 months……then FAILURE.  Grrrrrr…… I live in the great white north and wash my truck weekly in an automatic car wash  to keep the salt off.  Let me tell you that removing the old, failed emblem is a whole different animal than removing the OEM individual letters without removing the grill assembly. Mainly because the illuminated logo is built differently than the original letters which  you can remove the red surface lettering with a knife or some kind of blade which gives access to the tabs which hold the logo onto the grill. So I had to essentially destroyed the old emblem to remove it. Doing so killed my chance of doing somekind of autopsy on the failed , old logo.  But there was plenty of water inside when I ripped it apart.  Prior to installing the new assembly I tried it with the old harness and it works fine.   Does anyone have any insight as to where the water is getting into this emblem? I intend to seal the new logo with slow curing epoxy this time around using a syringe.  I think this newer emblem may be an updated unit which I hope GM got the vendor to fix. It has an October 2025 date on it.    If this one  fails,  I am just going to revert back to the non-illuminated letters….AFTER PULLING THE GRILL.    Any thoughts on sealing with epoxy would be appreciated. Thx!   Doug  

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...